Yep, I’ve finally put together a top shows list. As I hopefully made clear in part one and part two of my critical biases post, this is obviously my list – it represents the things I think are most valuable in stories in the way I think they’ve best been articulated. It’s also just a list of shows I enjoy – there’s no hard criteria here, so I wouldn’t stress the numbers too much. Also, it’s a bit front-loaded – I only started watching anime seasonally about two years ago, so the last couple years are disproportionately represented. Incidentally, I’m not including movies here either – I think direct comparisons between shows and films are a bit of a stretch, but if they were included, this list would certainly be somewhat different. And finally, I’m absolutely (and thankfully) certain this list will change over time – there are still piles of widely beloved shows I’ve never seen, so I’m sure the current rankings will be filled out in the years to come. So with that all said, let’s get to the list – Bobduh’s Top 30 Anime of All Time.
-edit- I have now created a Top Shows Addendum for shows that have either fallen off or just barely missed this list. Please enjoy these additional almost-top shows!
Flip Flappers marries the blossoming artistic vision of many of anime’s most talented young animators to a story teeming with the rich psychological inquiry that anime does so well. Centered on a girl on the verge of young adulthood who feels too paralyzed by consequences to decide who she wants to be, Flip Flappers takes her on a wild adventure through a series of evocative alternate realities, all of which ultimately reflect back on the human interiority of her own world. Flip Flappers appreciates the inherent beauty of our distinct internal worlds, and pairs a wild tour through the human experience with a core character arc that reflects thoughtfully on the complexity of love, identity, and growing up. Slotting somewhere thematically between FLCL and Evangelion, it is a can’t-miss addition to anime’s coming-of-age pantheon.
Here’s my review of Flip Flappers.
Flip Flappers is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
Gatchaman’s a goddamn busy show – in the course of a 12-episode run, it covers everything from internet culture to crowdsourcing to the necessity of leadership to social responsibility to human nature to… well, you get the idea. And it explores all these ideas while also staying remarkably light and breezy – you could enjoy the show purely as a fun, visually interesting, musically brilliant adventure without even thinking about how identity is constructed in the digital age, or whatnot. And when you combine these two strengths, you get a show that proves you don’t have to be dry to be smart – you can make awesome points about how the internet will change the world without ever giving up a sense of fun and moment-to-moment excitement. Brain food and comfort food at the same time.
Here’s my review of Gatchaman Crowds.
Gatchaman Crowds is available at Amazon and streams on Crunchyroll.
Giant Robo is Bombast Incarnate. Featuring an epic clash between the Experts of Justice and Big Fire, there’s no room for subtlety in this production – it’s all massive robots and deadly superspies and fights for the fate of the world. It’s also a beautiful thing – a series of seven OVAs released over most of a decade, the show is a gorgeous ode to classic super robot storytelling, brought to life with strong animation and rich colors and epic orchestral scores. And yet for all its larger-than-life size, the show also tells a gripping story, full of fully-articulated characters and reflections on family and human ambition. Giant Robo essentially feels like the final act of the Greatest Robot Story Ever Told – it has absolute confidence, and earns the viewer’s trust through constant dramatic hooks and total polish in execution. Even if you generally like smaller stories, I’d give Giant Robo a chance.
Here’s my essay on Giant Robo.
Giant Robo is vaguely available on Amazon.
Bokurano manages the difficult feat of staying tonally downcast and even desolate at all times while simultaneously conveying an unflinching message of optimism, and belief in humanity as a species. Its premise is terribly arbitrary and cruel, and very few members of its young cast survive, but the stories they tell in their leaving reflect the kaleidoscopic spectrum of the human experience. Its compelling scifi narrative ultimately becomes little more than a stage for its young stars to shine, as they each take up an impossible mantel and fight on behalf of their species, their cruel guide mocking them all the while. But Bokurano does not believe in its guide’s cynicism; though the world it posits is harsh, its young heroes shine all the brighter for it.
Here’s my review of Bokurano.
Bokurano is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
Kyoto Animation excel at making quietly excellent little dramas, and Sound! Euphonium counts as one more feather in their distressingly pincushioned cap. The show is as gorgeous as you’d expect, the drama is understated but well-articulated, and the episodes are full of those alternately funny or poignant little moments that KyoAni’s mastery of animated storytelling always provokes. And Kumiko is one of the most fun people you could possibly follow around a story like this, with her snark and clumsy bluntness making her a refreshing and relatable protagonist. You can enjoy this show for its close viewing of the classic band experience, for its funny mess of jokes and characters, or for its well-articulated personal drama and reflections on goals and identity. It succeeds on all levels, making it one of the most impressive and fully realized high school dramas around.
Sound! Euphonium is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
As the only long-running shounen on my list, HxH’s a bit of an outlier. But HxH is not your typical shounen – directed by Madhouse (likely my pick for the best studio of all time) and adapted from a source by the writer of Yu Yu Hakusho, Hunter x Hunter is basically a master class in what makes adventure entertaining. Though it starts off “only” demonstrating it knows how to make challenge-based television entertaining (in lieu of actual fights, it generally sets up compelling puzzles of all shapes and sizes for its heroes), it ends up jumping from genre to genre, dabbling in crime thriller, tournament shounen, and even war drama. And through it all, the show’s fantastic aesthetics elevate it above almost everything out there – in direction, in sound design, in pacing, in animation, in basically every relevant aesthetic metric, Hunter x Hunter triumphs. That it’s been maintaining this level of quality for well over a hundred episodes is nothing short of astonishing – in fact, I’d say Hunter x Hunter has only gotten better over time.
Here’s a critical breakdown of HxH episode 116, and here’s an essay on the recently concluded (and breathtaking) Chimera Ant arc.
Hunter x Hunter 2011 is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
Mushishi is one of those strange, special shows that seem to just emerge confident and fully constructed, exude excellence for all of their running time, and then go quietly on their way. Its vignettes are dreamy and ambiguous, full of resonance and compelling ideas but never didactic. Its world is mysterious and enchanting, evoking both a more resigned and possibly more dangerous version of Miyazaki’s mystical forests. Its production is fantastic, with beautiful backgrounds matching a wonderfully understated musical score and a great sense of pacing to conjure its powerful, singular atmosphere. And all this works in service of a show that’s fundamentally just incredibly calming and sedate – a series of long, lazy afternoons spent enjoying the company of a master storyteller.
Here’s my essay on Mushishi.
Mushishi is available at Amazon and its sequel streams on Crunchyroll.
Grouped together because they really do feel like two sides of the same coin, both of Gainax’s Buster shows would also make this list independently. Flippant and heartbreaking, cynical and triumphant, personal and universal, each of these OVAs tells a story of humanity’s struggle against all the forces of the universe with style and heart. And each can stand alone, as well – Gunbuster is helmed by a pre-Eva Anno already exhibiting his unnerving style of direction, and Diebuster offers a very appropriate conclusion to the FLCL era of Gainax production. Only six episodes each, too – it’s pretty remarkable how much story each of these manage to tell.
Here are my essays on Gunbuster and Diebuster.
Both Gunbuster and Diebuster are available at Amazon.
Shinsekai Yori is basically tailor-made for fans of fantasy and scifi novels. Heavy on worldbuilding and questions of human nature, its story unfolds on a scale far greater than most anime, exploring a compelling dystopian society by following one generation from childhood through adolescence and well into adulthood. Though I often feel its characters fade into the background of its storytelling pretensions, it all works in service of an incredibly compelling central narrative, and its devastating conclusion justifies everything that came before. It’s a rare and valuable thing – few shows work on the scale of Shinsekai Yori.
Here’s my review of Shinsekai Yori.
Shinsekai Yori is available at Amazon and streams on Crunchyroll.
An idol show?!? I could actually go on for a while about what makes various idol shows great (and I have), but as far as Idolm@ster specifically goes, this show is just a solid episodic drama that succeeds in almost everything it attempts. It’s got a rich and well-developed cast of characters, lots of great little character stories, and a bunch of fun adventures like “the team runs a Sunday game show” or “one idol ends up as a runaway bride while another fights yakuza goons.” On top of that, Idolm@ster features one of the best creative teams in recent memory – a bunch of former Gainax staff and other great creators combine to make this one of the most beautifully directed and animated shows I’ve seen. Even if you don’t have any interest in idols, Idolm@ster’s combination of fun stories and gorgeous execution makes it a rare and impressive show.
Here’s my review of The Idolm@ster.
The Idolm@ster is available streaming on Crunchyroll.
Black Bullet, Higurashi no Naku Koro ni, Gosick, Jigoku Shoujo, and Mushibugyo are all really good anime to watch
Blood lad is a great anime in my opinion.
Woa Woa Woa, where are all these???
Sword art online, Attack on titan, Akame ga Kill, Death note, Code Geass…
Clannad, Air, Kanon
Watch Hellsing Ultimate. It’s leagues better than the anime series.
Watch Hellsing Ultimate. It’s really great, leagues better than the anime series.
I would recommend fate/zero 🙂
Having just watched fate/zero, I will say that the last 2-3 episodes ruined everything that was good about the first 20some, the ending was so horrible, I cannot recommend it to anyone.
I thought that to when I watched it, but at the time I didn’t know fate/zero was a prequel to another anime series, fate/stay Night. Sets it up perfectly, I would recommend watching fate/stay night to see if that disdain fate/zero left at the end is resolved for you.
I felt that way to when I watched Fate/Zero, but at the time I didn’t know It was a prequel to another anime series, Fate/Stay Night. It sets it up perfectly. I would recommend watching Fate/Stay Night to see if the disdain Fate/Zero left for you at the end is resolved.
Well, if you are not a fan of sad endings. I love everything about Fate Zero, including its tendency to lean too much in the dark side.
I would Highly recommend watching Death Note. It’s characters and plot twists are very enthralling and the show is so beautifully made it is easily one of the best anime shows ever made. I also enjoyed Sword Art Online as well. the animation is gorgeous and the storytelling is amazing.
True except for the ending though it leaves you hanging with the question how did light change the world and what did the task force do after his death
But that is totally unimportant. It doesn’t matter what the task force does after Light’s death. It only matters that Light had such a lust for power and so much pride, that he brought him self down and failed to realise his ultimate goal.
watch attack on titan
it’s great
it’s main stream. SO mainstream. try recomanding something that’s NOT all over the place
Like SAO isn’t either? I’m not saying you like it, but SAO is so oversaid, and it’s BAD. Sorry haters, but it’s mainstream AND BAD! Attack on titan is ok… for mainstream. Still, SAO is way worse.
hipster alert
@the guy who said sao is way all over the place and mainstream tbh ur full of crap
If a hipster falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?
Yeah, but you’ve probably never heard of it.
AoT isn’t just mainstream, it’s only mainstream because it was built that way, with ideas and characters so shallow that it’s the only way it could be. The ammount of depth in AoT couldn’t drown an ant. An ant with no legs… that is upside down…
Like two different people have already stated, Death Note and AoT are two very humanity based animes that deal with what it is to be human.
Full metal Alchemist (both of them the original and Brotherhood) also succeed in achieving that goal.
AoT is the least human anime I’ve ever seen. Every character is shallow, even the main. The only reason it is popular is because the characters are 2D and so easy to hate/love without a second look. Plus the gore.
OK, First of all, the main character is retarded already, but you gotta admit, pretty nice animation.
Yay pancakes ^.^
pancakes pancakes pancakes yay
watch sword art online.
SAO is the best !!
Didn’t you ever see Code geass? Code geass is best anime ever
i agree. notwithstanding the defense of “it’s my list nyah, nyah, nyah the omission of code geass here is simply bizarre.
im with akise aru code geass is literally the best anime Iv ever seen in my entire life and nothing can beat it
can confirm, it should be in everyone’s top 10. sorry not sorry.
Code Geass and Death Note deserves to be in top 10s. Seriously, Death Note is just underrated.
After you’ve read the manga, Death Note anime becomes utterly insignificant.
death note plot twists turn it into a shitty anime, the beginning was great tho
if you’re akise aru…..why don’t you mention mirai nikki?
What I find really interesting is that your top three shows are all considered “deconstructions” of the genre/subgenres they reside in. In fact, many consider Evangelion and Utena to be shoujo/shonen mirrors of each other in how they deal with the typical conventions and tropes of their time. For someone who thinks that the word “deconstruction” is used far too often, you certainly seem to value shows which are labelled as such. 😀
Cross game, Death Note, Full metal alchemist,honey and Clover, Skip beat really enjoyed these shows
I Don’t know if this is mainstream but i would Recommend watching Kill la Kill its like the best anime (for me though
death note and code gease
EXACTLY!
No FMA:Brotherhood or Stien’s;Gate or Monster 0_0
Steins;gate was #24
Steins gate was #24
You can watch
Berserk, FMA, FMA Brotherhood, Rurouni Kenshin, Get Backers, Code Geass
I think yhua forqettinq about Naruto, Bleach, Golden time and Akame ga kill, I must admit akame ga kill is a new anime thouqh.
What about trigun, or black butler… or no game no life, or one piece, or monster… or gintama… what about meee! what…@-@
i think this list is rubbish there are shows that blow these out of the water yes animation and visuals are nice but the story lines arent all that one piece, fairy tail, bleach, hunter x hunter, naruto are all shows with longevity deep story lines that are so complex the story crosses over itself so beautifully its shear master class half of the shows you listed never made it past 12 episodes so they have to cram so much in small episodes look at onepiece been running just aslong as the simpsons and that is the longest running animation out there and come to bring it up onepiece is a ever flowing story so why isnt that in there one piece will become the only anime that makes it to 1000 episodes so just explain why isnt onepiece in there
If we’re going by number of episodes, then I guess One Piece actually does make it in, at number nineteen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_anime_series_by_episode_count
naruto sucks, practically the entire first part copied itself from hunter x hunter and shippuden is just poorly written.
The first part of naruto wasn’t great, unfortunately, even if it had it’s good moments. But I am with you. Anyone who puts neon genesis evangellion at #1 loses all credibility in my book. You want to talk mainstraim? NGE is so overhyped. I found myself wanting the main character and side character to die halfway through, I hated them so much. And only parts of it “understand people” as the author of this list stated. Some of it just makes no sense, and real people would be showing much more fear than they were in many situations, whereas in other situations they show emotions that shouldn’t be there, but are just to further the plot (although this type of writing is common in MANY animes, so I won’t pick too much there).
Bleach, if you take out all the fillers, (which is literally almost half the episodes), is great IMO, but it is mainstream, and it doesn’t have the feel of some of the shorter anime, and it has it’s own problems.
Attack on Titan is just as good at describing the person as NGE is imo… So by those reasons it should be on this list as well, and it has much more likeable characters too (imo, again).
In the end, everything is opinion, some people will like stuff other people think is garbage. (like how I think fate/zero is absolute trash, and NGE is close to it too)
Also, I am a huge fan of one piece, even if it has a ton of problems as well :p
Ergo Proxy for sure, definitely check it out.
I’m in almost the same boat as you, having started watching significant amounts of anime mainly the past few years. Here are some of my favorite shows in no particular order:
Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Death Note
Durarara
Baccano!
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Code Geass: R2
Shinsekai Yori
Fate/ Zero
Steins;Gate
Attack on Titan
Psycho Pass
Monster
Log Horizon
Inuyasha is good anime I like it
Just a few that I enjoyed: Eden of the East, A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun, Soul Eater…
Code geass is definitely the best anime ever, one piece has the potential to be the best by the time it finishes
Try watching The irregular at the magic high school, Log horizon,code breaker, K.
I like your taste and simply want to suggest a few that you might find interesting without telling you that you should have them on your list. I understand my favorites are not the same as every one’s.
others suggested monster I think that one is pretty up there for me. I am a big .hack fan but I prefer the original three novels to most of the series. In that Genre Log horizon was honestly one of the best. I love the strategic thinking. I enjoyed Accel world as well. SAO lost its luster quickly in season 2.
One of my all time favorites will always be all of Full Metal Panic! watched in order with Fumoffu as a break before the two more serious seasons it makes me super happy.
Have you taken a look at Welcome to the NHK? I think that one might be right up your alley. Though it can be really depressing I enjoyed it a good bit.
I also really recommend Skip Beat! Although the anime cuts off rather abruptly the manga is fantastic. I feel exactly the same way about Princess Jellyfish
Kimi ni todoke was wonderfully adorable great little romance one
If you like slice of life and want something relatively light but still touching on very human issues try usagi drop on for size.
Clover and honey warmed my heart but I am an artist and really understand seeing the world a different way as a theme
If I would recommend anything clamp it would be Kobato.
Maybe give air a try but that one is particularly weird. Still I love the bitter sweet tone it has
Haibane Renmei is also quite fantastic. It is incredibly human while being not quite
If you like things like Clannad maybe give Angel beats a try.
Anyway that is all I can really come up with for now. I watch so much it becomes difficult to remember things… but yeah hopefully I gave you one or two suggestions you have not seen and might enjoy.
like your taste and simply want to suggest a few that you might find interesting without telling you that you should have them on your list. I understand my favorites are not the same as every one’s.
others suggested monster I think that one is pretty up there for me. I am a big .hack fan but I prefer the original three novels to most of the series. In that Genre Log horizon was honestly one of the best. I love the strategic thinking. I enjoyed Accel world as well. SAO lost its luster quickly in season 2.
One of my all time favorites will always be all of Full Metal Panic! watched in order with Fumoffu as a break before the two more serious seasons it makes me super happy.
Have you taken a look at Welcome to the NHK? I think that one might be right up your alley. Though it can be really depressing I enjoyed it a good bit.
I also really recommend Skip Beat! Although the anime cuts off rather abruptly the manga is fantastic. I feel exactly the same way about Princess Jellyfish
Kimi ni todoke was wonderfully adorable great little romance one
If you like slice of life and want something relatively light but still touching on very human issues try usagi drop on for size.
Clover and honey warmed my heart but I am an artist and really understand seeing the world a different way as a theme
If I would recommend anything clamp it would be Kobato.
Maybe give air a try but that one is particularly weird. Still I love the bitter sweet tone it has
Haibane Renmei is also quite fantastic. It is incredibly human while being not quite
If you like things like Clannad maybe give Angel beats a try.
Anyway that is all I can really come up with for now. I watch so much it becomes difficult to remember things… but yeah hopefully I gave you one or two suggestions you have not seen and might enjoy.
this list is pretty good, obviously no one is going to 100% agree with anything like this but nonetheless it is insightful and nicely laid out. here are a few that deal fat crits to the anime game imo
Code Geass
Yu Yu Hakusho
FMA Brotherhood
Cowboy Bebop
SAO
Neon Genesis
One Piece
All the animes are so well, I like your top! What do you thing about my favorite anime of all times? Death Note:3
Berserk, Bccano, Smuri X Trust and Betrlyl. These are great anime..
where is star wars
If you want encourage the legal watching of these anime, I think it’s worth linking Crunchyroll when applicable, like for say, Hunter x Hunter and The Eccentric Family (first 100 eps of HxH are on Netflix too).
You lost all credibility when you put Madoka Magica on the list…seriously, that show sucked. Unrealistic characters and a plot with more holes than cheese…
fullmetal alchemist brotherhood is the best anime ever ….love it
baccano ,sokakuku no bryhilder , madoka magika ,noragami , and freezing are pretty good non mainstream so is heaven on the fallen horizon oh n i cant forget about welcome to the nhk
Man, am I the only one who has a soft spot for Macross? Reading these comments, I thought someone would have mentioned it.
Serial Experiments Lain. All the time. Every time.
Also, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya might deserve to be here. The original show was brilliant, but had some issues. That film, however, was fantastic. Totally deserves to be here.
That being said, NGE all the way. I’d agree on that one.
Where the hell is death note ????
Why do you have both a management note at the top of the foreword and an edit and the end of it? Why not just keep the edit, now that the management note is irrelevant?
Ive been watching anime that I know I might not like to broaden my knowledge.. anyone seen Gantz? I did really enjoy Gurren Lagann, need more one off movies Princess Mononoke was great. Finished the standard stuff Like bleach and Dragonball FMA and brotherhood. Started on death note will see how I feel by the end of it as I’m finding the endings of alot of anime isn’t forfilling or satisfying however that could just be that im enjoying them to much and don’t want them to end lol
Where is naruto, bleach, Dragonball and the best DEATH NOTE/FMA:brotherhood?? :O
#1 = Naruto
I’ve seen almost everything the op listed and most of the stuff commented and I agree with you. Maybe it’s cause I grew up with him.
Inu x boku ss
Sao is the best
Utena and Madoka on the podium? Add your site to favorites, anyone that sees Utena as one of the best anime in history has an excellent sense of taste. I’ll watch the anime of your top that I have not seen, I will trust your recommendations.
SAO isn’t even on the list… 0_o
This list is totally broken, because the title says “Top 30 Anime of All Time” and the oldest series you mention in your list begin from the late 90’s.
There is no Ashita no Joe, Slam Dunk, Macross, Mazinger Z or Dragon Ball Z and they are among the best even if we don’t like them.
Incredible list! i think you’ll love welcome to the NHK.
Gotta love dat mainstream!
Eureka 7 is one of my favorite anime and I wish I could hear how you think about it! It is filled with vibrant settings, funny but deep characters and youthful vibe generated by a ton of references to pop culture. Definitely recommended!!
Imo, to say “of all time” is absolutely exaggerated… If we talked about of all time, how can you forget mangas such as DBZ, GTO, The Gundam Saga, Saint Seya, Full Metal alchemist etc or even more recent pieces such as Attack on Titans ? I agree that they are all Mainstream, but still… (of course, here is just a sample I have on my mind right now, but many others should be on this list)